Filed under: being poor, crime, drama, ethical dilemmas, kindness, los angeles, people
so, i got a call from the police at 2 in the morning, they had my car, and had arrested the two people who were driving it on crenshaw. the girl in the driver’s seat was 16 and apparently a repeat offender. getting the car back took forever, at first they wouldn’t let me have it because they insisted that it was still stolen, even though you could see it in the impound lot. i know there are some very intelligent police officers out there, but i didn’t meet any yesterday.
the car is ok i think, although they smashed one of the side mirrors, broke one of the tail lights, the check engine light is on, the gps is gone, and someone wrote their initals on the glove compartment-door. unfortunately, everything that i had in the car (cds, chargers, gym clothes, owner’s manual and registration documents) are all gone.
the weirdest thing was that all of this girl’s stuff was in the car and it seemed like she had been living in it, sad. The police told me she was a “problem child” and that they were trying to put her in some kind of prison-school. i took all of her things (clothes, make-up, instant oatmeal, maxi-pads) and put them in a bag. my first thought was to take them to the police station and my second thought was screw that, that little bitch stole all my shit. her clothes are in the dryer now, i’m going to give them to out of the closet, they will probably give her a uniform at her new school. I feel kind of guilty, like i’m enforcing some petty lex talionis, but i do know, from personal experiance, that the worse the consequences, the better you learn your lesson… or would she be better inspired by a wronged stranger’s kindness? idk.
Filed under: 3rd street, architecture, being poor, celebrities, fashion, food, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, restaurants, shopping
this morning i received a (1 1/2 year late) welcome to the neighborhood from norm’s diner on la cienega along with a $10 gift certificate, cool. went there for lunch, interesting 1950’s modernist architecture, slow service, but a good tuna melt– not as good as canter’s or johnny rocket’s but better than swinger’s. I owed them 52 cents plus $2 tip. Appreciated the free lunch but probably won’t go back, canter’s, j.r.’s and swingers are all alot closer.
on the way back stopped at polkadots and moonbeams and ravishing resale on 3rd street. the woman who own’s ravishing resale was cool, funny and used to be a buyer for filene’s. admired an alligator skin gianfranco ferre motorcycle jacket she has. the girl at the resale p & m store was very sweet/funny, but the girls in the boutique p & m store didn’t even say hello to me, even though i was the only person in the store. when you are a boy and you go into a woman’s only boutique, one of two things happen– either they think that you are stylist or something and are super nice, or they think you have no clue where the hell you are and ignore you. i wish more resale places had men’s things… btw, if anyone needs a knee-length mohair cape, there is one on sale at polkadots and moonbeams for $40.
also, saw a decent pack of paparazzi outside of the vegan-organic place on la cienega. almost stopped to see who was inside, but i was hungry, and vegan food tastes like shit.
Filed under: being poor, beverly center, budget luxury, fashion, food, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, plans, shopping, sunglasses
holy shit. i walked into solctice at the beverly center today and fell in love with these ($420) sunglasses- but with brown leather. the saleswoman asked if i wanted to try them on and i resisted for .01 seconds. i swear they must have dipped these shades in crack. i finally managed to get them off when i realized the chick was reaching for the security button.
- related note: if you are in the west hollywood/beverly hills/mid-wilshire area, in the mood for taking your lunch with a spectacular view, and only have 5 bucks to spend, hit the food court on the 7th floor of the beverly center. enjoy everything from sbarro to panda (okay just the typical shitty food court stuff) but you’re really there for the atmosphere. the inside feels like just another mall anywhere, but walk around the corner to the outdoor patio and your table for one (or two if you’re a really poor/resourceful date) awaits you. $5 panda special + $1,000,000 view = a bit of luxury on a buget. (bonus! it’s always empty on the weekdays). to me, there is nothing more luxurious than privacy.
anyway, getting back to business, i loved these freakin’ specs so much i looked them up online where they were going for $281! that’s $140 off retail! fortunately, as i was typing in my visa #, i realized that if i can’t afford $420 sunglasses i can’t afford $280 sunglasses either. (but i would accept a gift).
and so i wait, for the perfect pair of $20 sunglasses.
